The present invention relates to a powder storing container containing powder, a developing agent cartridge which rotates to replenish a developing agent, a developing agent replenishing apparatus on which the developing agent cartridge is attached to supply a developing agent to a developing agent receiving port, and a color image forming apparatus loaded with a plurality of developing agent cartridges.
Heretofore, as a means to replenish a developing agent to a developing agent storing section of an image forming apparatus from a developing agent cartridge containing a developing agent, there has been known a device of a type wherein a developing agent cartridge is set in a main body when replenishing a developing agent, then developing agents in the developing agent cartridge are supplied to a developing agent receiving port, and after supplying is finished, the developing agent cartridge is removed from the main body. However, there has been a possibility in the replenishing method of the above-mentioned type that the developing agents are excessively supplied and overflow the developing agent receiving port because developing agents are supplied to the developing agent receiving port in a manner, which has required a means to prevent excessive replenishment of a developing agent. However, it is difficult to prevent excessive replenishment, and the conventional apparatus has been required to be high in cost and large in size, even if a means to prevent excessive replenishment can be installed on the apparatus. With the foregoing as a background, there has been developed a replenishing method of a type (Japanese Patent Application No. 088807/1994) published as Japanese Tokkai-Hei 7-295356 wherein a developing agent cartridge having therein a spiral-shaped protrusion is set in the apparatus main body, the developing agent cartridge is rotated around its central axis, developing agents are ejected from a developing agent outlet of the developing agent cartridge, and the developing agents are replenished to a developing agent receiving port. Since a developing agent cartridge is always loaded on the apparatus main body in the replenishing method of this type, it is possible to replenish developing agents to the developing agent receiving port by rotating the developing agent cartridge, when developing agents in the developing agent receiving port are reduced, which makes it unnecessary to prevent aforesaid excessive replenishment of a developing agent.
However, the developing agent cartridge and the developing agent replenishing apparatus which is loaded with the developing agent cartridge have the following problems.
(1) In the developing agent cartridge wherein it is mounted on or dismounted from a rotating force transmission member which transmits rotating force to the developing agent cartridge, while the developing agent cartridge is rotated, and an opening/closing cover provided at a developing agent replenishment opening is opened and closed respectively when the developing agent cartridge is mounted and dismounted, the opening is opened and closed when a cartridge fixing cover for the developing agent cartridge and a cartridge opening/closing cover are slid, but it is difficult that an entire circumferential surface of one cover comes in contact with that of the opponent cover. Therefore, there is a possibility that a developing agent exists in a clearance between both covers, which makes sealing of the opening/closing cover to be problematic.
(2) In the developing agent cartridge wherein it is mounted on or dismounted from a driving and rotating force transmission member by moving the developing agent cartridge horizontally, and an opening/closing cover of the developing agent cartridge or the like is opened and closed respectively when the developing agent cartridge is mounted and dismounted, when the outlet of the developing agent cartridge is closed, a recessed portion of the developing agent cartridge is engaged with a protrusion of the cartridge opening/closing cover. Under this structure, a part of the protrusion touches a circumferential surface of the developing agent cartridge when the opening/closing cover opens or closes, and therefore, considerable amount of force is required for opening/closing operations.
(3) Some of developing agent replenishing apparatuses are represented by one wherein an opening/closing cover which opens or closes a developing agent outlet is provided on a developing agent cartridge, and the opening/closing cover opens or closes when the developing agent cartridge is loaded on or unloaded from the apparatus, with the opening/closing cover and a developing agent cartridge loading section both being in contact with each other. However, if the position of this contact is not appropriate, the opening/closing cover can not be opened or closed smoothly in the course of an operation to load or unload the developing agent cartridge, resulting in the problem that an action to replenish to the apparatus main body can not be conducted, or developing agents overflow when the developing agent cartridge is removed.
(4) In a plurality of detachable cartridges which can be loaded on and unloaded from the developing agent replenishing apparatus provided on a color image forming apparatus, it is necessary to prevent a disadvantage that developing agent cartridges containing developing agents used for different apparatuses or developing agent cartridges containing developing agents of different colors are loaded, resulting in existence of different developing agents in the developing agent replenishing apparatus.
Further, in some of developing agent cartridges for replenishing developing agents by rotating, there is provided an opening/closing cover which opens and closes a developing agent outlet of the developing agent cartridge.
In such a cartridge, the opening/closing cover is required to be closed to cover the developing agent outlet so that developing agents remaining in the cartridge do not overflow when the cartridge is dismounted from an image forming apparatus.
However, it has also been a problem that poor sealing of the opening/closing cover caused developing agents to overflow and soil user's hands despite the closed opening/closing cover when the cartridge was removed.
Therefore, it has been necessary to design the structure of the cartridge by taking the sealing characteristics of the opening/closing cover into consideration.
With regard to the cartridge mentioned above, there has been a possibility that the opening/closing cover is accidentally opened during transportation to cause developing agents to overflow.
Accordingly, it has also been necessary to design the structure of a cap member to be attached to the cartridge so that the opening/closing cover is not accidentally opened during transportation.